Kelli Giddish Announces Her Return to ‘Law and Order SVU’ in Video With Costar Mariska Hargitay
Kelli Giddish is returning to Law & Order: SVU.
The actress, 43, played Detective Amanda Rollins on the long-running crime drama for 12 years before departing midway through season 24, Mariska Hargitay (Detective Olivia Benson) confirmed.
In the Instagram clip, shared on Tuesday, November 28, the costars danced to Paul Russell’s song “Lil Boo Thang” in character.
“Back with my lil boo thang,” Hargitay, 59, captioned the video.
Fans are rejoicing over the reunion, expressing their excitement in the post’s comment section. “Omg I love y'all ??” one fan wrote. “Can't wait to see the new season.” The official Instagram account for NBC, the network that airs the television series, commented, “This is everything to me rn.”
Giddish announced her Law and Order: SVU exit in August 2022, one month before season 24 was set to air.
“I wanted to address the chatter I’ve seen online and let everyone know that this will, indeed, be my last season on Law and Order: SVU,” the All My Children alum wrote via Instagram. “Playing Rollins has been one of the greatest joys and privileges of my life. I’ve been so fortunate to be a part of the Law and Order family for the last 12 years. “There is simply no other character on TV like Rollins. She’s grown and changed, and I have as well. I started on this show when I was in my late 20s and I’m grateful I got to spend so many of my adult years with Rollins in my life.”
Giddish concluded the post by saying, “I’m so excited to take all the things I have learned in my time on SVU and put them toward everything that’s next to come.”
The series’ showrunner, David Graziano, later addressed fans’ disappointment with the news of Giddish’s departure.
‘Law & Order’ Revival: Everything to Know About the Flagship Show’s Return
“You might take a moment to entertain the idea that things are more complex than they appear in a world of emojis and tweets,” he said in an interview with TVLine. “All I’ll say is Kelli has handled this with the most incredibly classy comportment. She is, without a doubt, one of the finest industry professionals I’ve come across [in] my 24 years of writing television. I’m saddened by her looming exit. It’ll be my lucky day if I ever get to write for her again.”
Giddish joined the main cast of Law & Order: SVU for season 13 in 2011 after previously appearing as a victim in a 2007 episode of season 8. She initially returned as Rollins in the season finale in May, which was part of a crossover with Law & Order and Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Her character was pregnant in the episode, mirroring Giddish’s real life. At the time, the actress was pregnant with her third child and first with husband Beau Richards, whom she married in November 2021.
